Clockwork Princess Review

I know that it is Tuesday and I'm supposed to post a teaser on Tuesday, but I had to write this review, so I'll do a Teaser Thursday this week. That just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?

Seriously. So many feelings.

This post is going to be long. I'm going to apologize right here and now for this review. I've neglected my homework tonight to read this entire book and my brain is a jumbled mess as I'm trying to comprehend everything I just read. So many feelings. Ahh.

Let me start off by saying this: I'm one of those readers that becomes completely engrossed in a book. I put myself in the main characters shoes. I experience what they experience. Which is why when I read a book, I tend to feel what the are feeling. I cry when they cry. I'm angry when they are angry. I'm happy when they are happy. You get the point.

I went through all of that while reading this book. I admit that I did cry while reading it. Tears of sadness. Tears of happiness. Long story short, I cried.

I'm going to try and write this review without revealing anything. There are so many spoilers that I could give away, so if you haven't read it, you may not want to read further. Let me say this before anyone clicks away from this page through, The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare if one of my favorite YA series. I like this series better than The Mortal Instruments. If you haven't read this series, you definitely should.

Synopsis:

THE INFERNAL DEVICES WILL NEVER STOP COMING

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

***** If you haven't read this series, stop reading here *****

The book starts off where Clockwork Princess ended. Tessa and Jem are engaged to be married. Jem is still addicted to the yin fen. Will is still struggling with his feelings towards his parabati's fiance. Charlotte is pregnant. Henry is...Henry. Mortmain is still an evil villian. Everything is a mess.

I did have a few problems with this book though. I thought the climax was a little anticlimactic. I was definitely expecting a little more out of it. Cassandra Clare built up this climax in all the books, so I was expecting it to be epic. It really wasn't.

The thing that really bothered me was what wasn't put in the book. Where was a wedding scene? Tessa was engaged to Jem and there was a scene in the book about her trying on her wedding dress, so I was anticipating a wedding scene. Between Tessa and Will or Tessa and Jem. Preferably Tessa and Will...but there was no wedding scene. Not even in the epilogue. Really?

I felt like there were a lot of filler information in the book, but that didn't bother me that much. I went through periods where I wanted to stop reading because I knew that each page I turned led me one page closer to the end. I didn't want the book to end. 

I've always been Team Will. Ever since I read Clockwork Angel, I've been on Will's side. I knew that there had to be a reason that he was acting like that and my heart broke when we finally found out the reason behind his behavior. Don't get me wrong, I love Jem. He has the kindest heart and has gone through so much that he did deserve happiness.


Reading this series has helped me understand some of the characters in the Mortal Instrument Series--Magnus especially. I'm amazed at how Cassandra Clare was able to weave details about this book series into the TMI series. She's truly a talented author. While reading Clockwork Princess, I started to understand why some of the characters acted the way they did. I loved that aspect of this series.

*MAJOR SPOILERS* --I have to talk about this section. Sorry!

The epilogue of this book had me in tears. Again, tears of happiness and sadness. Set in present time, we relive Tessa's memories as she thinks about her life with Will. They were married and had kids and everyone was happy...until Will aged and died, while Tessa remained young. That's where I got sad. I was glad that they were able to stay together, but when she started describing the sadness she felt when eating breakfast alone, I couldn't contain it anymore. Instead of staying around and watching her children grow old and their children get older, she left London and went to New York with Magnus.

She's reliving the memories of her old life while standing of the bridge in 2008 waiting for Jem to appear...though Jem is no longer a silent brother. He's mortal. They finally found a cure for him.

Now, while I liked the epilogue, I feel like it was just a way to satisfy both Team Will and Team Jem and I'm not sure how I feel about that. While I understand it, I'm not sure that I completely like it. Something just isn't sitting right with me. In fact, I think the epilogue is the only part of the book that I'm really conflicted about. Tessa got to have her cake and eat it to. Honestly, I feel like the book would have been better if Jem actually died. Like I stated before, I love Jem. Cassandra Clare built up his untimely death so much that I feel like it would have been better if he had actually died. (Though I felt really awesome when the prediction I made before the book came out actually came true. I'm pretty sure I'm psychic. Just saying)

Hopefully as I have time to think more about it, I'll be able to come to terms with how Cassandra Claire finished this series.

I just can't believe this series in over. I still want more. All in all, I'd still recommend this book to everyone.

I'll end this post with a series of gifs explaining my emotions while reading this book:

I waited so long for this book. The entire month of March, I was antsy. I needed to read this book.

This was me when I finally got my hands on the book.

 This is what happened when I finally started reading (in no particular order):

                             

                 

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